It had only been half an hour and Sesshomaru was already ready to rip out the throats of each and every one of his business associates. They were supposed to be discussing a contract renewal that would keep their companies linked as partners. However, they were perfectly content with idle chatter amongst themselves about the over-hiring of half demons or "impurities" as they called them. Apparently they had very little place in the world of business and should stick to jobs they were better skilled for, like fast food. The only thing lower to them was humans. Bile rose in his throat at their spite, but quelled when he smelled Rin enter the room. Smiling pleasantly, she poured them each coffee.

"This is what I mean! A perfect example of a human staying in her place," one of the older demons announced.

And the bile was back.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Simply that humans exist to serve us of higher power and stature. Just as hanyous do."

Rin gawked at her mate and he sighed heavily. Instead of lashing out, however, he picked a piece of imaginary lint off his immaculate tie. Thousands of ways to make them each rue their very birth went through his mind, but the most subtle one rang the clearest among them all.

"Rin, would you please pick Yuki up early and bring him here? I want him to see his father do business."

Knowing his motive, she nodded eagerly and ran out. One of the other demons smiled peacefully at Sesshomaru. The poor, ignorant bastard.

"Oh yes, I heard you had acquired yourself an heir. He's probably the spitting image of you. Sorry that we missed the gala,"

"No harm, no foul. Now, can we look over our current cash flow?"

"Of course!"

They each opened up their files on the previous fiscal year and scanned to see how their income was doing. Taisho Corp. was doing fantastic in sales, while the other company was plummeting. He raised an eyebrow at the fidgeting demons. Maybe cutting ties wouldn't be so hard after all. It was well known that he only accepted the best of the best to be connected with his company and they certainly were not it if their portfolio looked like this. His ear twitched as the door opened, the sound of Rin's laughter accompanying it. He would've smiled if he wasn't so pissed.

"Daddy!" Yuki cheered as he scrambled into his lap, "Momma said I get to see you kick butt!"

"I guess that's one way of putting it."

"With a sword?"

"No pup, with a pen and words."

"Okay!"

The look of fear and horror on his fellow demons' faces were priceless.

"Gentlemen, this is my son."

"H-He's a half demon?!"

"Very much so. Back to the matter at hand."

At his blatant dismissal, they shakily went back to explaining why their sales had plummeted. Apparently they were only targeting one group, demons of course, which greatly diminished income. If it wasn't for his company keeping them afloat, they would be bankrupt. The entire time they spoke, he calmly stroked his son's head like a villain with a cat. They became even more nervous when he allowed Yuki to draw on his copy of the files. Not like he'd been needing them. You see, this particular company worked with pharmaceuticals and first aid products. Normally that would be a big seller, but they only targeted demons and made medicine simply too strong for anything less. This greatly reduced their buyers. Lucky for him, a new company with a much wider range of natural medications for all markets had recently come to him with a business proposal. It was ran by a half-demon named Jinenji who grew and processed everything himself. He was highly praised with a reference list a mile long. Every one of his customers swore by the effectiveness of his products and the controlled studies were extremely promising.

"I think I have everything I need to make a proper choice. I am going to decline the renewal of our partnership."

"Please, reconsider-"

"You gentlemen all know very well that I only deal with the best. And you have fallen far below that."

"Please, if you just give us one y-"

"One year? To change the ways you have been following for centuries? It is simply too risky on my end."

"So," One of the eldest demons grunted, "We've come to the true source."

"What ever do you mean?"

"You're flustered about our views on half demons because of your own little one."

"I am appalled you'd assume I'd terminate a century long agreement over such a small opinion."

"Oh don't play coy. You were the worst of us all and now you're dropping us for speaking our minds."

"My views having nothing to do with anything. Your company has gone down hill and I refuse to continue business. Please, leave."

"Whatever, human lover."

The demons rose, muttering and shooting pointed glares at Yuki. He shrank slightly into his father's hold, shaking. They filed out in perfect order as Rin was coming in with more coffee. She chirped after them to have a wonderful day. She refreshed his, then left to put it back in the break room. No need to brew a whole new pot for a few demons she knew were on their way out. As soon as the door closed, their son looked up at him with one ear drooping and his head tilted adorably.

"Daddy, what did that man mean by you were the worst?"

"Well, to be honest, a long time ago I was very prejudiced toward hanyous and humans."

"Predudiced?"

"Prejudiced. It means I really didn't like them and felt like I was better than them."

"Why?"

"Because that's what I was taught. I was raised to believe that demons were the best and that everyone else was there to worship me."

"But, grandpa likes humans."

"I wasn't raised by grandpa. I was raised by my mother who hated them."

"Because of Uncle Inu?"

"Not entirely. But she isn't alive anymore. She died a couple hundred years ago."

"Daddy is old..."

He rolled his eyes, smirking as he tickled his ears. Rin tapped the door frame as she entered again. Against her ear was a company phone. She spoke quickly to whoever was on the other line, discussing some kind of prior contract. By her relaxed composure, he could tell it was going well. Her disposition was one of the first things that caught his attention. Watching her speak, he couldn't help but remember the day they met.

It was a hot, humid day and Sesshomaru was not looking forward to doing business for once. The air conditioner at Taisho Corp.'s Hokkaido branch was down, but time limitations had voided him the luxury of waiting until it was on. An oscillating fan barely cooled the meeting room in which he sat, waiting for his younger brother to arrive. They were to discuss how much of the company's profits should go to this specific branch this fiscal year since its holdings had prospered significantly in the past year. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, impatient to return to the pool of his hotel room. The door clicked open, allowing a burst of cool air to enter momentarily. A short woman in a sleeveless peach blouse and matching skirt entered, walking past to open the window. Asshe did, the scent of fresh roses and tiger lilies wafted past him. It was a delicate scent underlined with something he could place. His eyes shifted to her, taking in her form. She too was delicate, her body slender like a flower, yet full in the places that counted. Her posture showed not a sense of elegance, but of dignity.

Inuyasha entered and sat down, drawing his attention. He nodded to the woman respectfully.

"Thank you, Rin."

"My pleasure, sir. Shall I sit in?"

"Of course."

As silent as when she arrived, the woman known as "Rin" sat down at the right of his half-brother. The top two buttons of her blouse were undone, exposing a peek of cleavage. A bead of sweat rolled from her collar to the valley, leaving that floral scent that was driving him insane in its wake.

"Sesshomaru, this is my secretary, Rin. Rin, this is my brother and business partner, Sesshomaru."

She held out her hand to shake and he took it, surprised by her firm grip. They went over the branch's holdings, the staff, and the allowances it had. He was surprised to see that his brother had managed to trim away the unnecessary things, like new swivel chairs for every department, and invest in more promising ventures, like outsourcing. And with the way the little lady beside him spoke, it was safe to assume she was the mastermind behind these changes.

"So," he said after everything had been covered, "I think that 30% would be the proper share of profits."

A scoff escaped her lips and Inuyasha's ears twitched, a smirk touching his face.

"40."

"35 and that's as high as it goes."

"40 and Rin will keep you company for the rest of your stay."

The aforementioned woman's head snapped to her boss so fast he could've sworn her neck broke. Normally he would've rejected his offer. He may even tell his brother to go to hell and toss him out the window. But, right as he was about to tear in, a gust from the fan blew past Rin's neck and into him, dousing him in the delicious scent.

"Deal," he managed to hiss, grasping at threads to keep his stony composure."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Big Brother. She will meet you at your hotel tonight at seven."

Nodding curtly, he gathered his things and made his way out the door. As it closed, he could hear the woman who had been all but sold to him cursing his brother out… and he chuckled.

Rin sat down on the table, returning his attention to the present. She had finished the call and was now slouching with a look of exhaustion on her face. Smiling softly, he reached up to stroke her cheek.

"Who was it?"

"Your stepmother. She is so excited to meet Yuki and I. Apparently your father has told her a lot about us."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Not when she has a whole chest of your brother's baby clothes to give our 'next little one'."

He groaned softly, "I'll have a talk with them."

"Will it really do any good though? I mean, it's not like they'll listen."

"I'll make them."

She sighed, resting her forehead against his. Yuki nuzzled her chest, yawning and rubbing his eyes. They smiled at their son.

"Are you tired sweetie?"

"Mhm…"

"Let's get you home then."

Sesshomaru picked him up, holding him to his chest so his face was in his hair. Standing, he took Rin's hand and walked with her to his car. She took their son, not seeing him grab a not from the windshield as she placed him in his car seat. He scanned it once, crumpling it before she was finished. It was nothing but a threat telling him to take Yuki and leave before they were killed. Nothing to worry about. He opened the door for her, then got in and started for home. His whole world was held within that very car and nobody- not his father, not Kohaku, not the gods themselves- could stop him from keeping them.